


The Invitation

by cheesyficwriter



Series: Sixth Year Ball [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29607285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheesyficwriter/pseuds/cheesyficwriter
Summary: Follow-up to The Waltz. Ron works up the courage to ask Hermione to the sixth year ball. Part 2 of 3 out of the "Sixth Year Ball" series.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Series: Sixth Year Ball [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175219
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21





	The Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters. 
> 
> A/N: Happy Sunday all! I had so much fun writing The Waltz that I decided to write up a short follow-up...and now I have an idea for a third installment hopefully coming soon :) enjoy the fluff!

**The Invitation**

* * *

Ron Weasley was on what he considered to be the most important mission of his life so far: to get Hermione Granger to go to this blasted sixth year ball with him.

Following their initially awkward turned bloody amazing Waltz in front of the entire sixth year class, Ron had felt as if he were walking on air, not even stopping to realize or debate the next step until Harry pointed it out to him one day. 

"So, have you asked Hermione to the ball yet?" 

It finally occurred to Ron, oh _Merlin,_ that the ball remained in his court, yet again, to make the next move. Would Hermione be expecting him to ask her now? Well, of course he _wanted_ to, but would _she_ want him to? He was fairly confident, given the fact that she didn't seem repulsed in the slightest by dancing with him in class, that she might be interested in attending the event with him. But the last thing he wanted to do was to muck it all up and spit out some half-arsed invitation again. He cringed, remembering his weak and failed attempt at an ask during fourth year: "Come with one of us." _For fuck's sake._

Saturday, he decided. He would ask her on Saturday, giving himself a couple more days to mull over exactly how. 

* * *

When Saturday morning rolled around, Ron hadn't come any closer to figuring out exactly how he would ask her. He first found Hermione down in the common room. She was curled in her favorite chair over in the quietest corner of the room, tucked securely away from any social groups that loitered about. She was so entranced by the book she held open on her lap, in a very typical _Hermione_ way, that he knew she would never notice him studying her. He admired the way her curls fell in front of her face as she read, how he could see her tiny, delicate fingers tracing the lines on the page as she scanned the words intently. There was a blanket draped across her lap and he could just make out her stocking-covered toes peeking out from the bottom of the blanket. 

"Ron," a voice to his left disrupted his ogling, "Are you coming to the Great Hall for breakfast?" It was Harry, who was eying him with amusement. 

"Uh...maybe in a bit, mate," he snuck another quick glance over at Hermione's unmoving figure. Harry followed his line of sight and then smirked. 

"Alright then, see you later, " Harry reached out to give Ron a supportive pat on the back, almost as if to say _good luck._

Ron observed Hermione for a few moments longer, until he decided that she looked far too comfortable in her current position that he didn't want to disrupt her. He convinced himself that his motive for delaying the conversation was out of pure consideration for her space, but he couldn't deny a part of him accepted the delay due to the growing nerves that bubbled about in his stomach. 

* * *

About an hour later, Ron returned to the common room, disappointed to find Hermione gone. He knew she didn't come into the Great Hall for breakfast, because he was certain she would have found the boys to eat with them if she had done so.

With an inkling as to where she might be, likely a place she typically ended up in on a late Saturday morning, fading into the early afternoon, Ron headed toward the library. 

He was right of course, spotting her immediately at her usual table near the bookshelves in the back of the room. Ron knew that she always liked choosing that particular table because it was the closest one to the history section, her favorite genre. 

Ron settled into a seat at a table in the opposite corner, reaching behind him to grab a random book from the shelf, using the book as a way to conceal his face. 

Madam Pince walked by and narrowed her eyes at Ron, clearly suspicious of his motives for being in the library on the weekend. He waited for the librarian to pass by before he snuck a glance over at his best friend again. In true Hermione fashion, she remained perfectly poised and still, the only semblance of movement being her head that shook slightly as she scanned line by line on the page of her now half-read book. 

Perhaps this wouldn't be the best place to have a leisurely conversation with her. Also, he was faintly afraid that Hermione would hex him for interrupting her library time. 

Ron departed the library and decided it might be worth waiting to try again after lunch. 

* * *

However, Hermione didn't show up in the Great Hall for lunch, of course. It was a beautiful, sunny, and crisp fall day outside and he figured she might have gone to eat lunch in her treasured spot underneath the willow tree closest to the lake. 

Sure enough, there she was. He studied her from behind a nearby tree of his own. This time, she was juggling a half-eaten apple in one hand, holding her book out in front of her with her other hand. Ron figured the sunlight was hitting the page of her book just right, given the way she had her elbow propped up on her knee to stabilize the position. 

Ron wavered on his feet, accidently snapping a twig on the ground, making Hermione's head snap up in surprise. Ron darted backwards, hoping that his body was firmly hidden behind the large tree. He paused and waited with bated breath for several seconds before he chanced a risky look back at the brown-haired girl in question. Ron was relieved to find that Hermione had already returned to her reading task, yet again fully consumed in her own little world around her. 

Well, he absolutely couldn't go back and ask her _now,_ without giving away that he was the one sneaking around. With a heavy sigh, Ron trudged his way back up towards the castle. 

* * *

Just before dinner, Ron spotted Hermione in the corridor on the way to an unknown location. He figured this very well might be the last opportunity of the day he would get to catch her alone, as she typically headed up to her dormitory after dinner. He followed behind her at a leisurely pace, watching the back of her head as she turned down another corridor. Ron poked his head around the corner and barely caught the slight flash of Hermione’s bushy brown hair as she disappeared into an empty classroom. He crept his large, lanky legs stealthily until his back was pressed up against the wall, just past the door to the classroom Hermione entered. Ron barely had time to mull over what to do next, when a sharp voice disrupted his thoughts. 

"Hi, Ronald.” Ron whipped his head around to find Hermione standing just behind him, with crossed arms and pursed lips. 

"AH...uhm…uh…" _Well fuck._

"Are you going to tell me why you've been stalking me all day long?" She regarded him suspiciously. 

"Stalking you? You're _mental_. I'm just…"

"Following me around all day, not uttering a word, but staring at me when you think I'm not looking?" 

_How could she have possibly caught me staring at her?_ "You don't even look up for your bloody book long enough to even be _aware_ of who is around you, how would you even know what _I_ was up to all day long?" He retorted. 

"Aha!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "So you admit that you've been watching me." 

Ron gritted his teeth. "I've known you for several years now, Hermione, it was a casual observation because you _literally_ do the same thing every bloody Saturday."

"That is not true!" 

"Hm, really?" Ron tapped his chin, pretending to think. "So your life doesn't revolve around studying, studying, and….more studying?" 

"For your information, I wasn't reading one of our textbooks. I was reading…" She blushed and looked down at her feet. 

Oh _now_ he was curious. "Reading what?" 

"Just reading up on the history of… _ballroom dancing_." 

Ron was nonplussed by Hermione’s confession. "Oh yeah….yeah...cause the ball is coming up soon at the end of the month." _Excellent segway into the conversation, genius._

"Ron, are you going to ask me to the ball?" Her rebuttal was immediate, causing Ron’s eyes to widen at her blunt question, as his palms started sweating profusely. 

"I was...working up the courage." _Well, this is going just swimmingly._

"Really? So _that's_ what you've been up to all day? _Working up the courage_ to ask me? That is so…"

Ron gulped nervously, unsure of where this conversation was heading. 

"...adorable."

"Really?" His eyes brightened hopefully. 

"Yes, really," Hermione smiled shyly back at him. 

"Blimey." He rocked back and forth on his heels, feeling exponential weight lift off of his shoulders. 

"Ron?" Hermione asked. 

"Yeah?"

She leaned closely to whisper, " _Now's the time."_

_Now's the time? What could she mean…_ "Oh." 

Hermione continued to look at him expectantly, almost impatiently at this point. 

"Hermione Jean…" He started on an exhale, teasing her by adding her middle name, "Will you come with me to the winter ball?"

Hermione considered his proposal for a few seconds, before her lips spread into a beatific smile. "I would be absolutely delighted to."

Ron’s face lit up with elation. "Really?"

"Yes, really," she huffed and rolled her eyes. 

"Brilliant!"

Ron gestured towards the books in her hands, offering to hold them for her. She let him take her belongings graciously. They walked down the hall together, side by side, both filled with eager anticipation for the evening they would be spending together in the near future. 

"You know, I actually have _decent_ dress robes this year," Ron's voice echoed down the corridor. 

"Oh honestly, Ron!"


End file.
